“Hurts like a bitch, doesn’t it?” I muse, lifting his face to look him in the eyes. “I’ve experienced it myself. In fact, I’m pretty sure it was you who arranged the guy who attacked me…”
Misha spits at me, but I dodge it.
“I don’t know what the fuck you want me to confess, you asshole,” he screams.
“You keep attacking our operations, and all you have to do is admit it,” I scream back at him.
“Why the fuck would I put my sister in danger like that?” he mutters, dropping his head again.
“What?” I snap, slapping him. “Speak louder so we can all hear.”
“Why the fuck would I attack you while you still have my sister. It would be fucking stupid. It would put her in danger,” he blurts out.
I step back as his words sink into me.
He’s right.
For the first time in his life, I think he’s telling the truth.
He cares deeply about Maria, and an attack like that would be a poor choice since she’s still with us. He doesn’t know us well enough to understand that we’d never hurt her.
I growl in frustration and turn to Kaz. He shrugs. “I don’t know, man, why was he hanging around our territory, then?”
“Because I’m waiting for a chance to rescue you, my sister, from you fucking monsters,” Misha spits.
From the top of the stairs, Joe calls down, “If it’s not him, then someone is going out of their way to make it look like him.” He walks down into the basement area.
“Who?” I ask.
“I think we know who,” he sighs.
Kaz clenches his jaw and brushes his hand over his stubble. “Well, fuck, this is a mess, isn’t it?”
“Are you ladies done playing with me?” Misha snarls.
“Shut the fuck up before I break your nose,” I warn him.
“I should have killed you when I had the chance,” Misha snaps.
I turn my back on him, speaking to Joe and Kaz.
“Okay, so that means it was your father? I think Misha’s telling the truth. I think all he wanted was to get his sister back,” I sigh.
“Agreed. But what do we do with this fucker now?” Kaz asks, glancing around me at Misha, still bound to the chair.
“Leave him here to rot,” I suggest.
Joe pushes his hand through his cropped hair and groans. “Ok, let me deal with this,” he sighs.
He stands in front of Misha, glaring down at him.
“It seems there was a misunderstanding, and someone has been pinning this on you. So we’re willing to make a deal. You leave us alone, and we’ll leave you alone.”
“Who?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“It is my business, because you have my sister!” he snaps. “If she’s not safe with you, I refuse to agree to anything.”
